Not really sure!

[N1SQB]

I'm trying to decide what aviation portable to buy for local aircraft monitoring.I will be using it with the included antenna near local airports not with any external antenna. I'm not a pilot so NAV features are not needed. I have tried good scanning portables like my 436HP but the audio is not the same. I feel pretty good until someone pulls up near me with an air band portable, then I notice the difference. So I decided to just get one. This is where the problems come in. I thought I wanted a Yaesu 550L which is decently priced. Then I see that there are squelch issues associated with this radio Then I see the Icom IC-A6 Nice radio, good price but the radio has to be charged internally with the included cord, otherwise spend an extra $60-75 on a drop in charger.I'm not a fan of internal charging. What is the best all around aviation portable for the money these days? I'm not really sure which way to go! I'd love to hear the opinion of those of you who own aviation portables.This is an area of radios I am not too familiar with.

Thanks.

Manny

 

[byndhlptom]

Aviation portable

Several possibilities

There a a few aviation specific scanners

Shorties JD100
Javiation has a few

General coverage handhelds by ICOM, Yeasu, and Kenwood are available.

ICOM's R1, R2, R10, R20 are all pretty solid (R10 & R20 are two I've used)

Most handheld scanners cover the Aviation band (the older Uniden BC100XLT/200XLT scanners were solid receivers if you just rebuild the battery packs (an easy t wire solder job)

AOR's handhelds seem to be very prone to overload/adjacent channel interference problems (I've had the 880,1000, 1500, 8200)

Quite a few of the dual band Ham stuff will also RX in the aviation band

If you also want Military Aviation, that will significantly reduce your options.

The full t-way aviation radios are probaly the best, used prices all over the place depending on model and age. ICOM and Bendix/Kind are usually solid radios. There are several other brands out there

I'm sure others will chime in......

 

[N1SQB]

Thanks! As I said, I have experience with scanners in the AM band and quite frankly, the audio and the selectivity is nowhere near as good on other radios as it is on an aviation handheld. Like I mentioned before, I thought I was hearing ok audio until a person doing what I was doing ( monitoring ) pulled up next to me with an airband portable. My audio was not nearly as good as the 800 mW coming out of that radio. Thats why I decided to buy one, as I am big into aircraft monitoring. At home, a base scanner will do as I have dedicated antennas and filters for this band. I'm just looking for something for the road when I'm traveling to the different airports to monitor.I want to invest, just looking for people's opinions on the dedicated radios since that is something I've never purchased before. As far as Mil-Air, that I am not interested in outside of the house.

Manny

 

[aprswatcher]

Aviation Portable

I would go with Uniden BC125AT it is relatively small and inexpensive, has great sensitivity and audio!
I own one and if I had to by another scanner for aviation monitoring only it would be another BC125AT.

73, Rex

 

[oregontreehugger]

The Icom R6 does an excellent job with aviation freqs., both VHF civilian and UHF milair. A little cheaper than buying a dedicated airband portable, and great battery life on a pair of AA cells.

I know the R6 is on sale right now -- and it looks like Icom is running a $15 instant coupon for the "Sport" model at the major retailers (HRO, Universal Radio, etc.). The "Sport" model doesn't come with a rechargeable battery pack or charger; but that's not a big deal, as Sanyo Eneloop NiMH batteries work great in it anyway.

 

[ropin4gold]

I'm a pilot and have used Icom a14 And a24. For your purpose I recommend the a14

 

[blacktop]

IC-A14

+1 on the IC-A14. I am not a pilot, so I can't say how well it works for aircraft use (but I expect it would work fine). It is fairly easy to use once you learn your way around, comfortable in the hand, good battery life, and really excellent audio. I have an Icom IC-A3 and a plethora of 118-137 air capable scanners and none come close to audio quality of the IC-A14.

Look around enough and you will likely find it at a good price. I happened to pick mine up in pristine condition for $125

note: there is no direct-connect to a DC power supply. Batteries are recharged in a separate battery charging unit BC-179. Allows for easy managing of multiple batteries.

 

[N1SQB]

Ok, I'm in....

First of all, thank you to everyone for your suggestions. After researching all of your suggestions, I came up with 1 that suits my needs the best. I have decided to go with the Icom IC-A24.It was a tie with the A-14 for a second but the display on the A-24 is larger and easier to read for me. ( no spring chicken here ). It will come down to who has it for the lowest price, However, I'm pretty much convinced that this is the best way to go for me. Again, my thanks to all who replied. Can't wait to get it.

Manny

 

[jaymatt1978]

I second Rex's comments I am very pleased with t he Uniden BC125AT's aviation receiving capabilities. I used it at an airshow this past summer and it was great !! Really sensitive on the military air band!! If you don't need trunking or digital it's great scanner. My only complaint is you can't search and scan at the same time

I would go with Uniden BC125AT it is relatively small and inexpensive, has great sensitivity and audio!
I own one and if I had to by another scanner for aviation monitoring only it would be another BC125AT.

73, Rex

 

[jaspence]

Air scanner

I have also been pleased with my 125. We stll have some analog police 20 to 30 miles from my qth, and it does an acceptable job despite the distance.

A comment on drop in chargers. Those used for commercial quality radios are a far cry from the cheap ham radio drop in charger, and most will charge the battery on or off the radio.

 

[N1SQB]

A comment on drop in chargers. Those used for commercial quality radios are a far cry from the cheap ham radio drop in charger, and most will charge the battery on or off the radio.

I agree with you. I ALWAYS prefer charging externally. Too much of a risk going direct into the radio.


Manny

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Another vote for the BC125AT.

 

[N1SQB]

Can the bank names on the 125AT be changed to the users choice via software? I thought I read somewhere that you are stuck with 'bank-1 bank-2" etc.

Manny

 

[blacktop]

Scan125 Control Proram Suite

The free software from Nick in the UK: Scan125 Control Program allows you to change the bank tag in addition to the channel name tag. A buddy has borrowed my 125 so I can't confirm this will do *exactly* what you seek, but would appear on the surface that you can do it.